Rattlesnakes at Pawnee

[Tristan]

I haven't seen any in the "normal" shooting areas. We like to go rockhounding after shooting, and that's when we see them. Here's a link to the area we like to go. Also, if you follow the creek on the left to where the dirt road heads back west, there is a sandstone formation that sports about 10 of the buggers. Just gotta get out there early enough. They love the morning sun, ya know.
And the east side is private, I think. It's fenced at any rate.
Anyways, here's the link. I hope it works.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.681419,-104.479122&spn=0.057929,0.11055&z=13

[Marlin]

They are up at the North shoot area also,, Saw a Baby one a few years back.. So, take heed up there also...

On a related note,,, Years ago,, Taking a road trip to Kearney Ne.. I just happened to be behind a 18 wheeler,,and the angles were just right that I saw what I would guess to be a 5-6' snake, between the wheels of the trailer, get flipped up in the air,, and land just far enough out of the way, that I didn't run Him over... I thought cats only had 9 lives....

[theGinsue]

Okay, so I know you can skin 'em and hang the skins to dry, but anyone here ever eat 'em?

[trlcavscout]

Okay, so I know you can skin 'em and hang the skins to dry, but anyone here ever eat 'em?

Good eatin! I havent seen them there, but my buddy lives a few miles south of there on "rattlesnake hill", so obviously we find them there alot. They are fun to shoot with the bow and some blunt tips.

[Tristan]

Okay, so I know you can skin 'em and hang the skins to dry, but anyone here ever eat 'em?

You mean you don't?! lol
Cut the head off, peal the skin (don't cut it up the middle) off, pull the guts from the neck all the way out, cold water wash.
You cut them into 4-6" lengths, cover them in corn meal and fry them in bacon grease or oil. Good meal, there. Really does taste pretty much like chicken, too, but with the consistency of fish. It's an interesting eat, but a good one. There was a restaurant in Denver that used to serve them up all the time, but they were probably farm raised.
Their skins make neat things, too, like wallets and hat bands, etc.
And the B&P limit does not apply to road kill, or so the Fort Collins DOW guy told us a few years back. May have changed. Doubt it.

[theGinsue]

Well, no, I've never eaten them. In my defense, I haven't hunted them yet either - just checked out some road kill here and there.

Thanks for the instructions on preparing them. What are the bones like in regarding to when you're eating them. Is it like eating fish with small bones, always getting a couple in each bite?

How do you prepare the skin for things like hat bands, etc.? I caught the peel them back/don't cut them up the middle thing, but do you have to tan them at all?

What about the venom sacks? Is this something that you need to be careful of when cutting the head off?

Sorry for all of the questions, this is something I've been interested in for years but never pursued and I don't want to screw any of it up!

[Tristan]

Well, no, I've never eaten them. In my defense, I haven't hunted them yet either - just checked out some road kill here and there.

Thanks for the instructions on preparing them. What are the bones like in regarding to when you're eating them. Is it like eating fish with small bones, always getting a couple in each bite?

How do you prepare the skin for things like hat bands, etc.? I caught the peel them back/don't cut them up the middle thing, but do you have to tan them at all?

What about the venom sacks? Is this something that you need to be careful of when cutting the head off?

Sorry for all of the questions, this is something I've been interested in for years but never pursued and I don't want to screw any of it up!

Not a problem at all.
The bones usually stay attached to the spine. You can peel the meat off with your fork, or just kinda nibble it off. I suppose it would more depend on how much you cook it, but I've never had a problem. It only takes about 7-10 minutes in the oil. Less if it's a small snake.
To tan the skin is easy. Depending on what I want to make, I either stretch it (like a condom, lol), inside out, around a 2" pole or for a wallet I do cut up the middle, stretch like you would a normal hide. I use a common stapler and staple about every two to three inches. Either way, then you take an ulu or whatever knife you want and scrape it. Snake skins are easy like that and you get all the junk off pretty easy.
Then you mix half glycerin (about $10.00/gal) and half methyl alcohol (about $20.00/gal) and paint it on in light layers. The time interval between layers and how long you let it dry really depends on the weather, but you get a knack for it pretty quick. But I never let it dry in the sun, only the shade. It only takes about 4 hours before you can start painting it with the alcohol/glycerin mix if you scrape it good.
After that, I let it sit for about 3 days then trim the edges for whatever I am going to make, and sew it. It's all pretty easy, and once you do it a couple of times it's a breeze.
The head is a little worrisome, as it really will bite you. I cut it off and grab it with a pair of pliers and put it in a corn husk and bury it about 6" deep. It degrades quick. Just step on the head and cut it off. Wear boots and you'll be fine. Just don't try it barefoot, lol.
T.
p.s.-I mix the glycerin/methyl about a cup at a time. It is reusable, but only for a couple of days. You can do probably 40-50 snakes with the two gallons easy. But the hatbands go for $50 and the wallets for $200, so it's okay to be a little sloppy.
I wish I had a good camera. I have snakeskin grips on my DEagle, and man-o-man are they nice. But you have to tape the edge so they remain hard in that instance for gluing. There are tons of cool things you can do with the skins, and they are all cool.

[theGinsue]

Thanks for the info. I'm actually excited for the season to start.

I asked my best friend/hunting partnet if he was interested in doing this and all I got in response was "Are you serious?" My reply was a simple yes and asking again if he was game.... I have yet to get a response. I guess that means he doesn't wanna try this!

[bimmer]

where do you normaly go to shoot? i think we usually go down county raod 57 when you go down that steep little hill to get to the shooting area. is there an area arounf there to look for rattlers? or do you know a good road to turn down?

[theGinsue]

I've never gone (a) to the Pawnee Grasslands, and (b) rattler hunting before. I've been wanting to do the rattler hunt for years, just never got to it (Bucket List item). From reading this thread, I figured thhis would be one of the best places to go looking for them.